Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, wehave peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peace with God

In a number of old movies one of the characters would be dying of a gunshot wound. As his life slipped away, he’d remark that everything was alright because he had made his peace with God. It almost gave me the impression that the gunslinger was forgiving God for all of the wrongs that they had to endure. However, the theme was that they had said sorry to God for their evils and now they were ready to walk into heaven and enter life eternal.

We too, tend to associate peace with God with heaven. We are at odds with God and we live in a difficult world. There is no peace to be had here, we think. However, when this life and all its trials is ended, peace will be our reward in heaven.

Paul promises peace now. It is not just the absence of war or conflict. It is living in harmony with God. It is seeing the way that the world should run and living in harmony with that. When the King of Heaven becomes our personal king, we live out the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. When God’s Kingdom is acknowledged by all, there is peace. When we see God’s will, even in suffering, we can experience peace in this life, even in the midst of terrible storms.

Prayer

God, please bring your peace to my heart. Let me know how our lives should be best organised in order to bring your Kingdom to earth. May the world know peace because it knows you.

Questions

What is the ‘therefore’ there for?

How do we have peace with God?

What is Jesus’ connection with true peace?

Do you have peace?

How can you be an agent of peace to your home town?

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About Plymothian

I teach at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. My interests include education, biblical studies, and spiritual formation. I have been married to Kelli since 1998 and we have two children, Daryl and Amelia. For recreation I like to run, play soccer, play board games, read and travel.

1. What is the ‘therefore’ there for? It connects back to the previous verses and gives an explanation
2. How do we have peace with God? Only through Christ
3. What is Jesus’ connection with true peace? He is the Prince of Peace, the One who unites us to the Father and gives us peace in a relationship that was previously marred by sin
4. Do you have peace? Yes, although I sometimes forget that I do and I become anxious instead of remembering that Christ has already given me peace
5. How can you be an agent of peace to your home town? By as as much as I can being a peace maker rather than one who stirs up trouble, even in the words that I say and the actions that I do

One of my friends just started a blog titled, “The Place of Peace.” Her point is that though we may try to find a place where there is peace, true peace is found in the person Jesus Christ. In Him, we have peace with God because He is Himself our peace. He has warred with sin and won. And now we are called to image Him as God’s children, being peacemakers wherever we go, directing people to know the person who is the Prince of Peace.

In our world, often we think of peace being the absence being of conflict. However, in God’s eyes, peace is so much more than this. Having peace with God is about much more than not being in a fight with God, but rather it is the ability to interact with one another in joy and harmony. Because of Christ we can have peace with God and this peace should be highly treasured.

What is the ‘therefore’ there for?
To enforce that we have peace with God because we have been justified.
How do we have peace with God?
Through the justification we are given through out faith in Jesus Christ.

Do you have peace?
I have peace when I rest in God’s rather than being thrown around in the messes of my life.

I know that this passage says we have peace with God, but I’m not really sure what that means in my life. Yes, I have peace with God in that God has forgiven me of my sins. I’m not sure what that is supposed to look like in my life. Phil. 4 speaks of the peace that passes understanding. How does that fit with this passage? I think sometimes we, as Christians, think that to have peace means to no longer suffer or experience “negative” emotions, but that doesn’t seem biblical to me. Many questions.

When we see God’s will, even in suffering, we can experience peace in this life, even in the midst of terrible storms.
Amen! Amen! God has definitely brought me peace lately. I was told from a friend about what has been going on in his life. Through hearing his story, I was convicted yet reminded of who God is. Finally, I could feel the inexpressible peace that covered all over me. I am still in joy to know that it is by God that I came to be at peace. Praise God for His peace! 😀 Thank you, Lord.

1. Just as Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness and as we too have been justified. we also have peace with God.
2. It is because we are justified we have peace with God.
3. It is only through Christ that we have access to peace.
4. Yes.
5. I think living life and not hiding the peace I have but bringing it outwards into conversations and actions.

Far too often we think that our salvation only has eternal gain, but we are forgetting about the present benefits that the Lord bestows on us. We do not have to wait till eternity to experience His blessings, we can experience them now through the Holy Spirit.

I love the simplicity of this verse. Although the world is constantly the opposite of peaceful, we can experience peace now, through the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised us the Spirit and through him we can experience peace. Though this world is fighting against us, we have peace that can’t be shaken or destroyed because it is from God.